Vertical parallel transportation of caps

Abstract

A device for conveying closures (D) made from metallic sheet in an essentially vertical direction from a collecting point ( 1 ) to a release point ( 6 ) is proposed. The closures are selected to be in correct position during conveying in order to release at the release point ( 6 ) only same-lying closures in a row of closures following one another closely. A conveyer belt ( 10 ) serves for the transport (v 1 , v 2 ) of the closures. A sensor and discharge device ( 17, 16, 19, 18; 3 ) serves for detecting wrong-position closures and for lateral discharge (q 1 , q 2 ) of individual wrong-position closures. In the course of the conveyer belt ( 10 ) upstream of the sensor and discharge device, a bar ( 15 ) is arranged above the conveyer belt, which terminates after the sensor and discharge device ( 17, 16, 19, 18; 3 ). More than one row (R 1 , R 2 ) of closures next to one another may be supplied separately to the sensor and discharge device ( 17, 16, 19, 18; 3 ). The performance itself is thus increased if the speed of the belt ( 10 ) is reduced. Performance is understood to mean the number of conveyed lids/minute which hitherto reached an order of magnitude of about 800 lids/minute.

1. A method for upwardly conveying closures made from sheet metal, the conveying upwards from a collecting point to a higher release point, wherein at the release point same-lying closures are released, and wherein the method comprises:
 (a) conveying more than one row of arbitrary lying closures upwardly to a sensor-and-discharge-device on a single conveyer belt; 
 (b) discharging wrong-lying closures in the more than one row of arbitrary lying closures towards opposite sides at the sensor-and-discharge-device such that closures that remain on the single conveyor belt are same-lying closures in the more than one row; and 
 (c) guiding together, after the sensor-and-discharge-device, the more than one row of same-lying closures by a resiliently tensioned guide member that provides for a single line of same-lying closures conveyed towards the release point on the single conveyor belt to be released as the same-lying closures at the higher release point. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 conveying the more than one row of arbitrary lying closures to the sensor-and-discharge-device on separate tracks on the single conveyer belt, wherein a track separation is present prior and before and is removed after and behind the sensor-and-discharge-device. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 arranging a magnetic device, inclined at an angle with respect to a central plane of the single conveyer belt, between the sensor-and-discharge-device and the release point, the magnetic device configured to guide the more than one row of same-lying closures together on the single conveyer belt in a correctly lying row. 
 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 adjusting the angle of inclination of the magnetic device with respect to the central plane to accommodate various closure sizes. 
 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 supplying two rows of the arbitrary lying closures to the sensor-and-discharge-device on the single conveyer belt, the two rows being separated by a bar of a defined length. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 exerting a pressure force on the resiliently tensioned guide member, the force facilitating a reaction force via a spring device. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising
 deflecting the guide member upon an increase of the pressure force either on a nose section or an inner guide edge of the tensioned guide member, and upon such deflection a mouth width of an intake opening towards the release point is changed, and any closures blocking the intake opening are loosened.